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PennDOT Closes Parkway West In Both Directions Overnight

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A major construction project is affecting one of the area's busiest highways overnight.

PennDOT is shutting down the Parkway West in both directions overnight between Interstate 79 and the Parkway Center interchanges.

DETOURS: Click here for PennDOT's detours

Here's tonight's schedule: the inbound Parkway is closed from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Friday. Outbound is a little different; it will be down to a single lane from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. Then, completely closed from 1 a.m. until 5 a.m. on Friday.

It's a change of plans that could surprise some drivers.

PennDOT wanted the Parkway West construction zone to look a lot different by now.

It's a no man zone for traffic – two narrow lanes of traffic with, for the most part, no clear lines to tell you exactly where your lane ends and the other guy's begins.

"It's a challenge and motorists need to use caution," said Steve Cowan with PennDOT. "We understand it's a safety situation and that's why we want to address this."

It's not that PennDOT hasn't tried to paint the lines and get down the proper markings, but Mother Nature has refused to play along.

Officials say temperatures and rain have been a big problem.

They've tried other methods, but it hasn't worked, so they'll have to shut down the inbound lanes overnight so crews can get paint on the ground before Friday morning rush hour.

And in a last-minute change for safety, the outbound lanes are also closing.

"We're going to allow motorists to get out of town after the Penguins game, then we're going to close down from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. to start doing the painting," said Cowan.

That will not be enough time to get all the painting done though, so PennDOT will continue the project through the weekend.

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